Kia Sportage, Hyundai Motor's the all-new Nexo and Kia PV5 have consecutively received awards or praise from major global organizations. At the same time, Chung Eui-sun's management philosophy is being talked about. Chung has repeatedly emphasized that "we will provide vehicles with world-class product quality and safety to firmly build customer trust."
Recently, the Kia Sportage received a five-star (★★★★★) rating from 'Latin NCAP', Hyundai Motor's the all-new Nexo proved top-level safety in 'Euro NCAP', and the Kia PV5 won the '2026 International Van of the Year,' the most prestigious award in the global commercial vehicle industry, last month.
Observers say this achievement reflects Chung Eui-sun's will, which emphasizes safe and comfortable freedom of mobility and innovative user experiences.
Chung Eui-sun has repeatedly said that "a car should be more than a means of transportation; it should be a space that helps customers prepare for what comes next more comfortably inside the vehicle," expressing a customer-centered management philosophy.
This month, the Kia Sportage received the highest rating of five stars from the New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (Latin NCAP). In this evaluation, the Sportage showed outstanding performance in key assessment areas such as adult and child occupant protection and advanced safety technologies. In particular, it received good marks for structural rigidity and active safety systems, which Latin NCAP's strict evaluation protocol emphasizes.
Kia has been recognized in the Latin American region for its continued efforts on safety, earning the top rating in Latin NCAP for the K3, K4, EV4 and now the Sportage.
Hyundai Motor also announced on the 14th that the all-new Nexo received the highest five-star (★★★★★) rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).
The Euro NCAP test is a European new car assessment program that began in 1997; it conducts safety verification tests on cars sold in Europe and publishes results annually. The evaluation items consist of four categories—adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems—and grades are assigned based on the overall assessment results.
The Nexo achieved the highest rating because it was highly evaluated for maintaining a stable passenger compartment in collisions, effectively protecting occupants, and being equipped with various advanced safety features.
Hyundai Motor demonstrated the excellent safety of its electrified lineup by achieving the top Euro NCAP rating for dedicated electric models including the Ioniq 5 in 2021, the Ioniq 6 in 2022, and the Ioniq 9 in September this year, and now for the hydrogen fuel cell Nexo. Moreover, after the first-generation Nexo became the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in the world to receive five stars from Euro NCAP in 2018, the second-generation model also achieved the highest rating, once again strengthening Hyundai Motor's position as a leader in hydrogen mobility.
Kia achieved the feat of winning the most prestigious award in the global commercial vehicle industry last month.
Kia said that at Solutrans, the world commercial vehicle show held last month in Lyon, France, the PV5 won the 2026 International Van of the Year. This award is considered one of the most influential awards worldwide.
This win not only made history as the first for a Korean brand in the 34-year history of International Van of the Year and the first for an Asian electric light commercial vehicle, but it was also decided unanimously by all 26 jurors, fully proving the PV5's unmatched completeness and innovation in electrification technology. It is expected to help the Kia PV5 successfully enter the global light commercial vehicle market, which has been centered on European brands.
Additionally, starting with the EV6 GT's win in the 'world performance car' category in 2023, Kia's EV9 won 'world car of the year' and 'world electric vehicle' in 2024, EV3 won 'world car of the year' in 2025, and now the PV5's International Van of the Year win marks four consecutive years of recognition on the world stage for leadership in electrified mobility.
The International Van of the Year is organized and selected by IVOTY (International Van of the Year), a nonprofit organization composed of specialist commercial vehicle journalists from European countries; it is the most prestigious award in the light commercial vehicle industry, continuing for 34 years since 1992, and it selects and honors the vehicle with the most innovative value among the light commercial vehicles launched that year.
The 2026 International Van of the Year was selected after jurors comprehensively evaluated seven finalist vehicles—chosen from light commercial vehicles that began sales in more than 12 countries this year—through direct test drives, assessing technological innovation, efficiency, safety, environmental friendliness and sustainability.
A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "We are pleased that major global organizations have recognized the excellence of Hyundai Motor Group vehicles," and added, "We will continue to provide vehicles with world-class product quality and safety to firmly build customer trust."
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